Let’s change “Up There” to “Out There”

http://imgkid.com/paulo-freire-quotes.shtml

Mid-March through Mid-June can be a tricky time for educational leaders. It’s a time where the past, present and future continually collide!  Reflecting on what we have accomplished this year, where we are now, and where do we need to go, are a part of each and every day. From the Big Picture panoramic view that pushes us to look beyond our communities toward the vast educational landscape to imagine how to better serve the needs of our students, to the still life painting which helps focus our attention on the needed details of our end of the year events, activities, reports and reflections, our reflections collide.    

This winter I have been encouraging my Lower School Team to reflect on the WHY behind the WHAT of their teaching. Sharing Simon Sinek’s message, Start with the Why, was an introduction to this thought process which includes precise examples to help us consider the Why behind what we do. In essence, this is the panoramic view I am asking educators to contemplate.  

Using the KUD planning strategy (articulating the Know, Understand, Do) and asking teachers to focus specifically on the, Understanding, the Why, of a lesson or unit, has been introduced as a priority. Teachers have been encouraged to review past and present lesson plans under this lens, and to ensure that the Why/Understanding is front and center to all future planning. Simply put, if the Understanding cannot determined, then why bother with it. This process can be seen as the still life of this reflection process, a necessary focus on the details of why we teach what we teach.

When I think about the Why, I am thinking about relevance – how can what I am learning be applied to another situation or context. This is a tough question at times, but one worth always pondering. It is important to look at that context beyond the next stage of one educational journey and toward one’s life journey. Whether we are four and starting our educational journey, 17 and ending our "school" journey, or teachers in our 20s, 30s, 50s and beyond, we all have a life “out there.” Our professional learning journey also must consider our “out there” lives and the “out there” lives of our students.

My present school is somewhat divided into sections, PS-K, 1-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12. This is what I hear often as an answer to this question, Why are you doing this that way?:

• Because that is what they need to be successful “Up There,” pointing to 4^th and 5^th grade floor
• Because that is what they need to be successful “Up There,” pointing to Middle/Upper building
• Because that is what our Alumni say they needed to be successful in College

Let's not forget about their "Out There" lives, their real journey.....

Are we educating students for College or for Life? What will life be like for the Kindergarten students in the division I oversee when they are ready for College and beyond (Class of 2027)? Do we have to wait until our students are ready for college to educate them for life? Are we preparing students for what life is like now, and should we shift our thinking toward what life could become? 

Whether our students are 4 or 17 as we plan and prepare....

Let’s change “Up There” to “Out There” If education is relevant, the Why must answer how we are preparing our students for life "Out There." 

It is only this way that they will be ready to change the world.......